Stolen Hearts
by Allanna Stone
Summary: When a mysteriously shy girl joins the Manhattan Newsies, Jack Kelly finds himself questioning everything that he had ever known in his quest to find out more about the quiet Bandit…
1. Chapter 1

**Stolen Hearts**

**I only own Bandit.**

**SUMMARY:**

**When a mysteriously shy girl joins the Manhattan Newsies, Jack Kelly finds himself questioning everything that he had ever known in his quest to find out more about the quiet Bandit…**

Jack Kelly sighed as he kept a silent watch on the sleeping girl, thinking back to how she had helped him and David out of a scrape with Morris Delancy. She had been hurt pretty badly, but judging by the old scars and fresh bruises on her arm and neck, she was a survivor.

Jack found himself examining her closely, wondering where he had seen her before. She was a pretty girl who looked to be about thirteen or fourteen years old, with long brown-black corkscrew curls that framed a face with orange freckles and rosy cheeks. Underneath all the mud and dirt, he could tell she was a beauty.

Just as Jack was nodding off, a quiet groan jerked him awake. He noticed that she was stirring and just as he was about to get off of his chair, her eyes fluttered open.

She gasped as she jolted up with a loud whimper.

"Take it easy there," Jack soothed her, gently pushing her back down into his bed. "You're safe," he added in, seeing the distrust in her crystal blue eyes.

It took her a few moments to let his words sink in, however, she relaxed and sank back into Jack's pillow with a quiet groan of pain.

"What's your name?" Jack asked her, his curiosity getting the best of him.

Her calculating gaze hit him as she hesitated for a moment before whispering, "Bandit."

"My name's Kelly, Jack Kelly," he introduced himself in turn, sighing when she drifted back to sleep a few seconds later.

_Where had I seen her before_? Jack wondered before slipping into sleep himself.


	2. Chapter 2

**Stolen Hearts**

**I only own Bandit.**

**SUMMARY:**

**When a mysteriously shy girl joins the Manhattan Newsies, Jack Kelly finds himself questioning everything that he had ever known in his quest to find out more about the quiet Bandit…**

Jack woke up when he hit the floor. Jerking up, he wondered why he wasn't in his bed before he remembered what had happened the day before. He glanced over at his bed, expecting to see Bandit.

It was empty, the covers pulled back in an attempt to be neat.

Jack panicked. He jumped up from his stop on the floor and pressed his hand to the mattress. Discovering that it was still warm, he raced out of the bunkroom, down the stairs and flew out of the front door. He looked down both ways of the street and saw Bandit turning the corner at E street.

"Bandit!" he called out, racing to catch up with her. He turned the corner and saw that she had braced herself against the wall of a building and was breathing heavily as she wrapped an arm around her middle. As the sun rose over the horizon, Jack could see that she was wearing a dress that was once white, now mud brown, which was too small for her slender frame. Her feet were bare and dirty and her face (which Jack had washed in search of other injuries that needed to be mended) was a light cream color and doll-like in appearance.

"Where are you going in such a hurry?" Jack asked her casually, stuffing his hands into his pockets and leaning up against the building so that he was facing her. Bandit's only response was to duck her head and scuffed a toe into the sidewalk, wincing at the sudden motion jarred her body.

"If you have nowhere to go, you can stay with us," he offered, noting the smile in her eyes as she nodded.

"Okay," she mumbled, taking a step forwards and almost crumpling to the ground in pain. However Jack was quicker and caught her before she fully hit the ground.

"Come on." Jack quickly slung her arm around his shoulder and set off back to the lodging house.

When they arrived back at the lodging house, Bandit was embarrassed to find the place in a state of total and utter chaos as boys everywhere scrambled to get ready for the day ahead of them. Half naked boys ran around hollering as Jack helped Bandit back up the stairs. Halfway up, her legs began to tremble so bad that Jack had no choice but to carry her upstairs.

"Stay here; I'll go tell Kloppman about you," Jack whispered as he carefully placed Bandit onto his bed and vanished out the door.

Bandit looked down at her hands as she silently counted the seconds before being interrupted by a boy with a cigar hanging from his mouth.

"Hey, how do you do? I'm Racetrack, but most people call me Race," he introduced himself around his cigar. Bandit kept her face lowered in case he wasn't wearing anything. "She ain't a talker, save your breath boys!"

Bandit's face heated up at his comment, but she didn't say anything as he moved away.

About fifteen minutes later, the din quieted down, leaving Bandit with her thoughts, which she was pulled out of by a cough. Bandit whipped her head to look at Jack, who had came back upstairs with an older gentleman.

"Mr. Kloppman, this is Bandit. Bandit, this is Mr. Kloppman," he introduced the two of them.

"Ah, so this is the young lady who helped you and David get away from Morris yesterday?" he asked pleasantly. "It is a pleasure to meet you at last. Of course, when I first saw you yesterday, you were unconscious and had Jack here fretting up a storm!"

"You know my policy," muttered Jack in embarrassment.

"It's lovely to see you up and about," continued the man, ignoring the boy behind him. "Is there anything that I can get you to help you settle in?"

Bandit shook her head quickly.

"Very well then." The man muttered something to Jack before turning back to Bandit. "I'm afraid that you'll be on your own for most of the day, as how the boys will be selling and I have other affairs that I must tend to."

"It's fine," muttered Bandit softly. "I'm used to being alone anyways."

"Very well then," he smiled kindly at her before turning and exiting the room, leaving Jack and Bandit alone.

"If you need anything at all…" he started to say before noticing the distance look in her eyes. He smiled as he turned and left the room as well, leaving Bandit alone to her own devices.


	3. Chapter 3

**Stolen Hearts**

**I only own Bandit.**

**SUMMARY:**

**When a mysteriously shy girl joins the Manhattan Newsies, Jack Kelly finds himself questioning everything that he had ever known in his quest to find out more about the quiet Bandit…**

**TWO NOTES FROM THE AUTHORESS:**

**There's a poll on my page- pleasy sneezy go and vote?**

**I now have a new fan page on Facebook called Allanna Stone- I will (hopefully) update everyday with new ideas and plot lines and even will be accepting fan art. Pleasy sneezy go and give it a like?**

Bandit spent the day napping and getting back her energy. At one point, she woke up to find second handed clothes at the foot of the bed. She wobbled out of bed and held up everything, smiling as she held up the plain, but clean pale blue dress that someone had found and folded neatly for her. All in all, she now had three new outfits to wear.

The next time Bandit woke up, she found that someone had bought her a hairbrush. Ignoring how tired she felt, she sat up and began to try and brush out her hair, wincing as she hit knot after knot.

A sudden creak made her drop her hairbrush and her eyes went wide as a shadow appeared at the door, which opened to show the boy who had helped her back to the lodging house earlier that morning.

"How are you doing?" he asked her with his hands stuffed into his pockets. She shrugged as a response and went back to trying to get her hair into some kind of order. "Here, you don't seem to be having much luck doing it that way," he chuckled, crossing the room and gently taking the hairbrush from her. Bandit slowly eased herself onto the floor as Jack settled himself onto the bed and began to brush out her hair carefully as not to hurt her.

The silence stretched on, leaving Bandit feeling uncomfortable and even more shy. Finally, she mustered up the courage to talk.

"Why?" It was barely louder than a whisper, yet Jack seemed to have heard her.

"You remind me of myself when I was younger," he explained as he gently teased a knot from her hair.

"Is that a bad thing?" Bandit asked, feeling bolder.

"It can be, it can't be; depends on how you look at it," he answered causally, finishing up her hair. "There, all finished."

"That fast?" Bandit blinked, pulling her hair over one shoulder to run her fingers through the curls.

"Well, I used to brush out my sister's hair before…" he trailed off, turning away to look out the window. Bandit lost all courage and leaned her head against the bed, silently watching Jack Kelly. "But that was a long time ago." This last part was also just slightly above a whisper.

"Thank you," Bandit surprised herself with these work and promptly hid her face behind her curls.

"You're welcome," answered Jack with a small smile. "Are you hungry?" As though to answer, Bandit's stomach let out a loud, rude sound that had her blushing. "Here- I got this from Tibby's." he pulled out a few rolls and a small wedge of cheese and handed it over to her. Bandit slowly picked apart the roll and cheese, eating slowly so not to upset her stomach.

While she ate, Jack watched her, as though he was expecting her to do something miraculous. When she didn't, his shoulders slumped as though there was a weight on them. Bandit noticed this and wanted to ask why, only to have her shyness get in the way.

As though he felt her eyes on him, Jack caught her eyes and sent a wink in her direction, making her choke on a piece of a roll. As she got her breathing under control, she felt him kneel next to her, concern written all over his face.

But before he could say anything, the loud thunder of footsteps on the stairs broke them apart. Jack helped Bandit back into bed just as the door flew open once more to expose more than a dozen boys, all who were trying their best to be quiet.

"No need, she's awake," announced Jack, causing for an explosion of noise to erupt from the other boys. Bandit winced at the sudden noise and some noticed. Others were too caught up in their laughter and chatter to really notice her.

Bandit flopped back onto the bed, wondering when all the loud din would quiet down for her to get some sleep.

As though to answer her question, a blonde boy limped over to her, his crutch thumping as it hit the floor and he fell onto the floor next to her bed.

"Hi there, I'm Crutchie," he introduced himself cheerfully.

"Bandit," she mumbled shyly, avoiding eye contact with him.

"So is it true? Did you really beat up Morris Delancy within an inch of his life?" he asked her.

Bandit took a shaky breath as she realized that the entire room had gone silent at his question and forced herself to breath.

"Yes," she barely squeaked out, fighting the urge to look at see how many boys there were in the room staring at her. She began to toy with a strand of her hair to distract herself from all the eyes on her.

"How did you do it?" he pressed, ignoring her discomfort.

She shrugged as an answer and went back to playing with a random curl.

"It wasn't easy, I'll say that much," she mumbled, blushing as the other tittered. _Oh, how I hate being shy!_ Bandit cursed herself.

"She came jumping from a fire escape onto his back," Jack began before launching into the story of how she had rescued him and another boy called Davey from the bully. By the time he had finished, the others were giving her admiring glances.

"Remind me not to ever get on her bad side!" called out a boy with a cigar hanging out of his mouth as he shuffled a pack of cards.

"Race, I don't think you'll have a problem with that," another boy, this one with glasses, stated smugly. "I mean look at her- she's shyer than a mouse!"

Bandit blushed and turned away from the boys, wishing for quiet so that she could fall into a dreamless slumber.

"Alright now, boys- it's time for bed!" Kloppman's head poked into the doorway as they sent the boys a look, which sent all the boys off to their bunks with groans.

"But where's Jack gonna sleep?" called out a third boy, sending a smirk in to Bandit's direction.

_Not with me!_ Bandit wanted to retort, only she didn't know what would happen if she sassed him, so she kept quiet.

"On the floor is fine," Jack stated causally.

Kloppman shook his head at Jack's answer before pointing him to the empty bunk above Bandit's, to which he clambered into.

"Goodnight, Bandit!" called out the other boys as the room went pitch black. But the other boys stayed up still, whispering and laughing quietly as not to disturb her.

Bandit soon got used to the almost silent chattering and drifted off to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Stolen Hearts**

**I only own Bandit.**

**SUMMARY:**

**When a mysteriously shy girl joins the Manhattan Newsies, Jack Kelly finds himself questioning everything that he had ever known in his quest to find out more about the quiet Bandit…**

**TWO NOTES FROM THE AUTHORESS:**

**There's a poll on my page- pleasy sneezy go and vote?**

**I now have a new fan page on Facebook called Allanna Stone- I will (hopefully) update everyday with new ideas and plot lines and even will be accepting fan art. Pleasy sneezy go and give it a like?**

The following morning, Bandit was awoken by a loud male voice. She scrubbed the sleep from her eyes and saw Kloppman was rousing the other boys, and on some occasions, poking at them until they rose from sleep.

"Morning, Bandit!"

She yelped and tumbled out of bed as Jack poked his head down from his bunk.

"Sorry!" Jack chuckled, leaping from his bunk to help her back up onto her feet. "How are you feeling today?"

"Better," she mumbled, ducking her head.

"Do you want to sell with me today?" he asked her, letting out a loud whoop as she nodded shyly. "Well, then what are you waiting for?"

To answer his question, she turned her back and began to wriggle out of her old dress. Jack blushed and turned as well to give her modesty. It wasn't until she gasped in pain that he dared to peak over his shoulder.

What he saw made his angry and sick to the core.

Ugly scars crisscrossed her underweight body, connecting from her shoulders to her hips in angry lines and pitted paths marred her creamy skin.

Jack couldn't help himself as he reached out to trace a scar. Bandit yelped and jumped, turning to face him, showing him more of her abusive scars which trailed down her arms and chest and onto her stomach and legs.

"What happened?"

Bandit was terrified. She had only heard one other person use that tone of steel, and he was gone from her life.

"It doesn't matter," she muttered, slipping on an undershirt and boomers before selecting her (new) yellow dress. "He's gone from my life, and that's all that matters." Bandit quickly adjusted the sleeves to cover the scars on her arms before bending over to fuss over the skirt, making sure that it covered the worst of her legs.

"Bandit, if you're protecting him…" began Jack in a tight voice.

"He's in prison, alright?" she snapped, exasperated with where this was going. "Look, just drop it!" She forced herself to take a calming breath, shuddering as the air whistled through her windpipes. "Please?"

Jack also forced himself to breathe, counting to ten to help himself.

"I'm sorry Bandit, it's just that…" he began in a calmer voice, only to be cut off by Bandit sending him a look.

"I get it," she smiled shyly at him. "You're protective over your Newsies."

"You're not a Newsie yet…" Jack smirked before taking a newsboy cap off of his bunk and placing it crookedly onto her curls. "There, perfect!"

Bandit giggled before taking her brush and a ribbon and beginning to get her hair ready for a braid.

"Thanks," she whispered, smiling as she felt Jack turn to go into the bathroom to get ready for the day ahead of him. As she tied off her braid a few minutes later, she heard the other boys coming back into the bunkroom to grab items that they've forgotten in their haste to flee for the day. Bandit finally mustered up the courage to stand and head for the door, ignoring the stares from the other Newsies.

She followed the boys towards the distribution center, where she found Jack taunting two mean looking brothers. It only took her a split second to recognize them as the Delancy brothers, so she quickly hid herself behind two of the Newsies who she knew by face, but not by name.

"I'm Racetrack and this is Specs," introduced one of them, jerking his thumb at the boy with glasses. Bandit remembered them from the night before- Racetrack was the one who made the comment about not wanting to cross her if she was mad, while Specs pointed out her shyness. Bandit smiled and nodded shyly just as the gates were opened. She quickly placed herself between the two boys and was quickly led towards the desk to buy her papes for the day.

"Oy, Weasel! Fix up our new Newsie Bandit with sixty papes!" Jack bossed him when her turn came to buy her papes, slapping down a few coins and winking at her.

"My name is Mr. Weisel, not Weasel!" he scowled before catching sight of the young girl between Racetrack and Specs. "Oh, good day, miss. Sixty papes, it is- _**MORRIS!**_" he suddenly thundered, making Bandit jump and loose her hat in the process. "Sixty papes and make sure you actually count it this time!"

"How old are you?" Jack asked her suddenly, making Bandit blink in surprise.

"Fourteen," she answered a second later, smiling her thanks to Mr. Weisel, how bowed to her from his seat. "Why?"

"If anyone asks, say you're twelve," Jack instructed her as she collected her papes and trailed after him. "See any good headlines today?"

She scanned her top pape and smiled, nodding as she took in the buzz of news.

"Watch," he smirked before taking a pape and running out into the middle of the sidewalk and bellowing out, "_**EXTRA, EXTRA, READ ALL ABOUT IT! GREAT WALL OF CHINA FOR SALE!**_"

Bandit quickly caught on and was soon hawking headlines herself, shocking Jack with the sheer power she had over her voice.

"_**EXTRA, EXTRA, READ ALL ABOUT IT! PARIS OPERA STAR COMING TO NEW YORK!**_" she bellowed, earning her several coins.

"You're good!" Jack praised her. "And now, for my second show, I'll teach you how to con people into thinking that you're helpless…"

Fifteen minutes later, Bandit was on the corner of 9th and B street, selling her papes when suddenly, she felt a hand clamp down onto her shoulder. She yelped as Jack spun her around with a look of fury on his face.

"What do you think you're doing, huh?" he challenged her, taking a swing at her face. She squeaked in fear as she fought her every instinct to tackle Jack and run. Instead, she stood by meekly as he taunted her and pushed her around before vanishing into an alleyway.

Bandit quickly sold the rest of her papes, seeing as how the area was crowded with people. In no time at all, she had about five dollars and began to walk back to the lodging house.

As she turned a corner, she wasn't aware that there was someone in her path until she bumped into someone.


	5. Chapter 5

**Stolen Hearts**

**I only own Bandit.**

**SUMMARY:**

**When a mysteriously shy girl joins the Manhattan Newsies, Jack Kelly finds himself questioning everything that he had ever known in his quest to find out more about the quiet Bandit…**

**TWO NOTES FROM THE AUTHORESS:**

**There's a poll on my page- pleasy sneezy go and vote?**

**I now have a new fan page on Facebook called Allanna Stone- I will (hopefully) update everyday with new ideas and plot lines and even will be accepting fan art. Pleasy sneezy go and give it a like?**

Bandit panicked, jamming her hand up into the person's throat before taking off at a heavy run. She didn't get far, hiding behind a stack of boxes with her heart hammering inside her chest.

She dared to peek out and smiled in relief as she recognized Jack, who was rubbing his neck where she had attacked him.

"Bandit?" he called out, scanning the alleyway. She stepped from her hiding spot, shame flushed across her face as she braced herself from a scolding. "Where did you learn to do that?" Jack asked her in wonder as he began to lead her from the alley towards another part of New York.

"I picked it up while living on the streets," she confessed bashfully, watching her feet moving as though it were the most interesting thing she had ever seen.

"It's a good skill to have," Jack told her, leading her into a small family owned diner called Tibby's. "Go on ahead and order yourself a sandwich."

"I'll only be able to eat half!" she protested weakly as Jack sat down in a seat, patting the spot next to him.

"I'll eat the other half," he teased her as they placed their orders. "Tell me about yourself," he asked her while they were waiting for their food to arrive.

Bandit paused, hesitating as she looked for words to describe her life to the boy next to her.

"My pap is in jail for murdering my ma, my older brother split shortly after, leaving me to my fate on the streets," she finally stated causally. Jack could tell that this pained her to admit, by the way, she twiddled with her napkin in her lap, tearing it into tiny pieces.

"You have a brother?" Jack asked her, partly in shock.

"I had a brother," she quickly corrected him as their server came back with their food. "Once."

Silence passed for a few minutes while bandit and Jack dove into their meal.

"If you could, would you give your brother a second chance?" Jack suddenly asked, causing for Bandit to choke on her sandwich.

After having Jack pat her hard on the back, she finally looked up.

"I'd tell him to go to hell," she answered in an emotionless voice. "Why do you want to know?"

Jack was saved from answering by the arrival of Crutchie, who collapsed into a seat next to Bandit.

"Heya, Jack, Bandit!" he greeted them cheerfully, setting a few coins down onto the table and ordering himself lunch. "How was your selling day?"

"Good," mumbled Bandit, taking off her hat to play with her curls. Crutchie smile and began to coax the shy girl from her shell. In almost no time at all, the two of them were laughing over a well placed joke.

"Jack!"

Bandit clammed up once more, looking up as Race came over with Specs hot on his heels. She looked over at the door and saw the other Manhattan Newsies filing inside the restaurant.

"We saw one of Spot's birdies today- told us to expect him tonight," continued Specs in a worried voice. "What should we do?"

"Spot?" squeaked Bandit, falling out of her chair. "Spot Colen?"

"The one and only," answered Jack in a grim voice. "Did the birdie say anything else?"

Specs and Race both shook their heads in unison, making Jack clench his fist as he reached down to pluck Bandit from the floor and place her back into her seat.

"Do you think he's heard of Bandit and wants to meet her?" asked Race, earning him a deadly look from Jack.

"I doubt it," mumbled Bandit quietly, but Jack still heard it.

"You'd be surprised what all that Spot can find out," he informed her in a soft voice, matching her soft tone with a gentle smile. "I have reasons to believe that he has ears and eyes inside the Manhattan Newsies."

"Is he dangerous?" squeaked Bandit, turning red as Jack, Crutchie, Race and Specs all began to laugh.

Crutchie, who was the first to recover, placed his hand over Bandit's wrists.

"The worst he can do is with that slingshot of his, and he wouldn't dare to use it against ladies," he informed her with a smile, calming her down a bit. Her smile was warm with thanks as he squeezed her hands before withdrawing from touch.

"But still, none of us dare to get on his bad side," chortled Jack with good humor. "Dangerous, indeed- just wait until I tell Spot this, he'll die of laughter…"

Bandit was quiet for the rest of the afternoon, only speaking up to tell Jack that she was going into the bunkroom to brush her hair when everyone arrived back at the lodging house.

Jack ignored her as he bossed the other Newsies around, getting them to rearrange the furniture in the common room, knowing that it drove Spot mad when everything wasn't in place.

Just as dark was falling across New York, a sharp knock sounded throughout the lodging house, and in entered Spot Colen.

"Jackie boy, I hear you've got a new Newsie," Spot didn't waste any time getting to the point. "Get him out here- I want to meet him."

Jack looked behind Spot, grinning while the other Newsies chortled.

"Spot, standing behind you is Bandit, our newest Newsie," he introduced her. Bandit had brushed off most of the dirt and dust from her dress and had washed her face and hands. She had redone her hair braid and left her hat upstairs, instead opting for a ribbon to keep her hair in check.

"How do you do, Spot?" she greeted him quietly, giving him a wide berth as she went to go stand next to Jack.

Spot was speechless. He opened his mouth a few times, but no words came out. Finally, he was able to croak out a "How do you do?" and kiss her hand, making her blush lightly.

After watching the two leaders chatting for about an hour, Bandit excused herself to get ready for bed.

"Alright, goodnight Bandit," Jack smiled as the other boys chorused in, wishing her happy dreams as she quickly darted up the staircase.

Spot turned to Jack and shook his head.

"She reminds you of yourself, eh?" he teased the Manhattan leader lightly, earning him a stern glare.

"Don't you dare tell her!" Jack warned as Spot got up to leave.

"I won't," was all that he said before vanishing out into the night.


	6. Chapter 6

**Stolen Hearts**

**I only own Bandit.**

**SUMMARY:**

**When a mysteriously shy girl joins the Manhattan Newsies, Jack Kelly finds himself questioning everything that he had ever known in his quest to find out more about the quiet Bandit…**

**TWO NOTES FROM THE AUTHORESS:**

**There's a poll on my page- pleasy sneezy go and vote?**

**I now have a new fan page on Facebook called Allanna Stone- I will (hopefully) update everyday with new ideas and plot lines and even will be accepting fan art. Pleasy sneezy go and give it a like?**

After meeting Spot, Bandit seemed to be more on edge and jumpy, as though she was expecting to be attacked by a rabid bear. Her behavior didn't go unnoticed- Jack worried for her and for good reasons, too.

She was certain to keep close to Jack, or at least, as close as she could; she was all but sleeping with him in his bunk, that's how skittish she was acting.

And with all good reasons, too.

The Delancy brothers had been following her around making such lewd comments that made Jack want to turn around and soak them so bad that they wouldn't be able to walk. Somehow or other, he refrained from doing so, instead sending them death glares.

It was on one of those days selling papes that Jack finally asked Bandit a question that had been bugging him.

"When's your birthday?" he asked her causally as they hawked the headlines.

"October 31st," she answered in a quiet voice.

Jack's heart jumped into his throat.

"And yours?" she asked him, selling three papes at once.

"March 10th," he answered without thinking. He wanted to pound his head into a brick wall after saying that.

"Spring baby?" she asked him with a teasing smile.

Jack coughed uncomfortably, relieved that she didn't remember.

"Yeah," he muttered, ducking his head in mock shame.

"A springtime Robin," she commented in a whisper, her eyes glazing over for a second before she snapped out of her trance. "How many papes do you have left?" she asked abruptly, switching the subject.

"Two," he answered her after looking at his short stack.

"This is my last one!" she told him with a playful smirk before selling it. "How about if you meet me at Tibby's when you're done?" she asked him, walking backwards. Without even waiting for an answer, she spun around and darted off down an alleyway.

Fifteen minutes later, Jack finally managed to sell his last papes and took off after Bandit with a carefree grin on his face.

He turned the corner into another alleyway and froze in horror at what he saw.


	7. Chapter 7

**Stolen Hearts**

**I only own Bandit.**

**SUMMARY:**

**When a mysteriously shy girl joins the Manhattan Newsies, Jack Kelly finds himself questioning everything that he had ever known in his quest to find out more about the quiet Bandit…**

**THREE NOTES FROM THE AUTHORESS:**

**There's a poll on my page- pleasy sneezy go and vote?**

**I now have a new fan page on Facebook called Allanna Stone- I will (hopefully) update everyday with new ideas and plot lines and even will be accepting fan art. Pleasy sneezy go and give it a like?**

**For those of you who are my friend on Facebook, yes, I did meet Jeremy Jordan while out grocery shopping last week!**

"Please don't, I beg you!" sobbed Bandit as the Delancy brothers manhandled her.

"Hey!"

Jack showed himself, barely containing the rage in his soul that was coursing through his viens.

"Leave her alone!" he shouted and saw David, Kid Blink, Mush, Pie Eater and the other Manhattan Newsies running into the alleyway.

"Go pick on someone your own size, you ugly slug!" shouted Racetrack, taking a swing at Oscar and meeting his nose.

The fight went on for ten minutes, with the Newsies winning in favor of the size of the group. Bandit had slumped down to the ground from where she had been pinned to the wall, panting heavily and in a daze over what was happening.

Morris had somehow or other gotten his hands on a knife and had cut up a few of the Newsies, not enough to render them useless, but enough to make them careful of the weapon.

Jack roared and charged Morris, pushing him away and making him stumble. He grabbed onto the closest thing his could to stabilize himself.

Bandit.

She gasped as the knife stabbed her stomach, leaving a pool of blood on her dirty dress. Morris quickly yanked the knife out, staring at her in horror as her hat tumbled off, revealing her twin braids.

Bandit fell to the ground, already weakened by her blood loss.

"Bandit!" Jack yelled, pushing past Kid Blink and kneeling next to her, cradling her head in his lap. "Someone help, please!" A sob caught in his throat as the Delancy brothers took off with the devil's hounds were after them.

"Jack, we gotta get her to a hospital now!" David urged his friend and leader, grabbing Jack's bandana and using it to make a rought bandage for the girl.

Jack's face hardened as he stood with Bandit in his arms.

"David, Mush, run ahead and tell the doctors what happened!" he ordered. They nodded and raced off. "Hang in there, Bandit; You're a fighter!"

Less than ten minutes later, Jack was watching as Bandit was wheeled off on a gurney towards the emergency room. Jack held her hand as she was raced into surgery, never letting go until a nurse pulled him aside.

"Hang in there Francesca, hang in there!" he shouted as she was wheeled away

"You can't come any further," she told him, steering him towards the waiting room. "I'm sorry, but it's the policy."

"You don't understand," was all that Jack got out before he broke down.

The other Newsies watched on in silence as their leader went from in control to vulnerable in under a minute flat.

An hour ticked past before a doctor came out of the operating room with a tired look on his face.

"She needs a blood transfusion," was all that he said before Jack jumped up.

"Give her my blood," he ordered the doctor.

"She doesn't just need anyone's blood- her type is rare and we don't have it in stock-" the doctor started to state before Jack cut him off again.

"We're the same type doc, O negative." He rolled up his sleeve and glared at the doctor as though expecting to put up a fight.

"Very well- this way please." The doctor led Jack into a small room with a single bed that held Bandit. She looked tiny and frail in the hospital gown and tucked up with a blanket over her torso.

"How is she holding up?" Jack asked as the doctor got ready for the transfusion.

"Judging by the old scars on her back, I'd say she went though horrific abuse." Jack clenched his fists in anger as the doctor inserted the needle into his arm. "And I also found something else of interest."

"What?" Jack gritted from his teeth, furious beyond words that he never been there for her. What a selfish bastard he'd been!

"She had a child about a year ago," the doctor stated, urging Jack's blood into Bandit's arm.

"What?" Jack asked blankly.

"She had a child about a year ago," he repeated himself louder.

Jack sat there in shocked silence as the words sank in.


	8. Chapter 8

**Stolen Hearts**

**I only own Bandit.**

**SUMMARY:**

**When a mysteriously shy girl joins the Manhattan Newsies, Jack Kelly finds himself questioning everything that he had ever known in his quest to find out more about the quiet Bandit…**

**TWO NOTES FROM THE AUTHORESS:**

**There's a poll on my page- pleasy sneezy go and vote?**

**I now have a new fan page on Facebook called Allanna Stone- I will (hopefully) update everyday with new ideas and plot lines and even will be accepting fan art. Pleasy sneezy go and give it a like?**

Bandit groaned softly as she came to, wishing that the pain would ebb away and let her get more sleep.

"Bandit?"

Her eyes snapped open at the voice.

"Jack?" she croaked, trying to smile when she saw him sitting next to her bed.

"Thanks Jesus you're alive," he breathed.

"How do you know?" she gasped out, feeling thirsty beyond words.

"What?" he asked her confused as he offered her a cup of water, which she greedily drank.

"How do you know my name?" she asked him, the fuzziness in her head going away as she forced herself to sit up.

Jack sighed as he gently pushed her down again.

"You're lucky- any deeper and you'll be dead," he informed her.

"How do you know?" Bandit asked him again, this time annoyed.

"Ten years ago, my pa went to jail for murdering my ma, leaving me to care for my baby sister. I was selfish and I abandoned her in the streets to become a Newsies," he told her softly.

"Francis?" she asked him, ignoring all other judgment she had and sat up.

"Yeah." He was rewarded with a slap to the face.

"_**YOU SONOFABITCH!**_" she screeched angrily. "Do you have any idea what hell I went through to survive?"

"Actually, I do." Jack stared her in the eye. "Why didn't you tell me about the baby?"

"Because I have no idea where she is- I gave her up for adoption shortly after she was born," she muttered. "I'm too young and poor to be a mother."

Jack bit his lip- all her pain and suffering had been his fault- if only he had taken her with him when he decided to become a Newsies…

She wouldn't be in this much pain.

At that moment, the doctor came in.

"Are you alright, miss? I heard a scream," he asked her in a kindly voice.

"I'm fine- just catching up with a dear brother," she sneered sarcastically, crossing her arms in front of her chest and glaring at Jack. "What gave me away?" she asked Jack in an emotionless voice.

"Your eyes," he answered her softly. "I still remember ma saying that we both had eyes as green as emeralds. And your birthday, too. I still remember the night you were born- it was a Friday and a full moon was out. Pa was out drinking again so I had to help ma give birth to you. Jesus, I was scared- no, not scared- terrified. But while I was cleaning you up, you look at me with emerald eyes- the same eyes that I inherited from ma, and you as well- and I swore that I woud never let you get hurt." He swallowed bitterly and chuckled, a deep harsh sound in his chest.

"The only thing I can remember is ma getting murdered and you and I making a run for it after pa was arrested," she confessed. "And you leaving me to go 'look for work'." She laughed hollowly, using finger quotes to further emphasize her point. Jack winced. He hadn't known that he had hurt her that badly.

"I'm so sorry, I wish I could turn back the clock and change my decision," he told her, their eyes meeting.

Bandit hesitated before smiling at him.

"I believe you, but that still doesn't mean that I'm going to forgive you," she grumbled, breaking eye contact. "Are the others here?"

Jack sighed in defeat as he stood to go tell everyone that she was awake and wanted to see them.


End file.
